VICE President Sara Duterte maintained a 56 percent trust rating in September, outpacing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whose trust rating stood at 36 percent despite a modest national increase, a survey commissioned by Stratbase Group showed.
The Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, conducted from Sept. 21 to 27 among 1,500 respondents nationwide, found that Duterte’s “much trust” rating was 20 percentage points higher than Marcos’ 36 percent.
Marcos gained two percentage points from his 34 percent rating in June, while Duterte’s rating slipped by one point from 57 percent during the same period.
Despite his slight national improvement, Marcos continued to receive more expressions of distrust than trust. Forty percent of respondents said they had “little trust” in the president, down 5 percentage points from June, while 22 percent were undecided.
Duterte, meanwhile, received a “little trust” rating of 26 percent, while 17 percent of respondents were undecided.
Marcos’ most notable improvement was in Mindanao, where his “much trust” rating climbed 18 percentage points, from 17 percent in June to 35 percent in September.
However, Duterte remained dominant in the region, with 87 percent of respondents expressing much trust in her, against only 4 percent who said they had little trust.
In Metro Manila, Marcos registered 31 percent much trust, 43 percent little trust and 25 percent undecided.
In Balance Luzon, 40 percent expressed much trust in Marcos, compared with 35 percent who had little trust and 24 percent who were undecided.
In the Visayas, 33 percent said they had much trust in the president, while 44 percent expressed little trust and 22 percent were undecided.
Duterte also maintained an advantage over Marcos in the other regions, although her trust ratings varied.
In the Visayas, 60 percent of respondents expressed much trust in the vice president, while 24 percent said they had little trust.
In Metro Manila, Duterte recorded 46 percent much trust and 33 percent little trust.
In Balance Luzon, her trust rating stood at 41 percent, down 4 percentage points from 45 percent in June. Thirty-five percent expressed little trust in her.
Stratbase President and Chief Executive Officer Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit said both leaders would continue to face public scrutiny over issues affecting their administrations and families.
“Filipinos’ eyes are on President Marcos and how he deals with the issues that directly affect their lives: from the rising costs of living to the aftermath of high-profile arrests from the flood control scandal and Duterte’s ongoing impeachment trial,” Manhit said.
The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
